Harbingers of Spring: 11 Early Flowers to Cheer Our Chilly Souls
Photography by Marie Viljoen.
That last stretch of winter can feel interminable. From plants underfoot to the branches above, here are some of the most reliable harbingers of spring, the floral lights at the end of the tunnel.
Lie flat and appreciate the uplifting flowers of henbit, Lamium amplexicaule. But blessed is the lawn interwoven with the mat-forming sprawl of henbit, a member of the mint (Lamiaceae) family.
Henbit
Butterbur, Petasites hybridus, in New York City in February. Butterburs (members of the genus Petasites) are aesthetically fascinating plants, whose otherworldly, tufted flowerheads materialize from barren soil months before their prehistoric-looking leaves spread out vastly in the shade.
Butterbur
Fuki, another butterbur—Petasites japonicus. There a North American butterbur, though: wetland-loving Petasites frigidus (the species name says it all), but it is not easily to be found at nurseries.
Snowdrops
The classics are classics for a reason.
Hellebores whose tattered winter leaves have been removed. But Michelle Slatalla’s 2020 experiment showed that, for the vase, purple and maroon flowers defy the Lenten rose curse.
Hellebores are especially effective planted on berms or gentle slopes, where their faces are visible. Edgeworthia chrysantha is fantastic in the original sense of the word.
Winterhazel
Winterhazel’s branches festooned with buttery flowers. With the exception of native American, fall-blooming witch-hazels, both shrubs (or small trees) flower very early (the witch- preceding the winter-).
Witch hazel flowers withstand ice storms.
Witch-Hazel
With flowers of red, amber, neon yellow or warm gold, Asian witch-hazels are the stars of late winter. Witch-hazel’s electric, streamered petals ablaze against a backdrop of snow are unforgettable, and at their peak when backlit by a low winter sun.
Dawn Viburnum
Viburnum bodnantense in fragrant bloom. . (The bodnantense hybrid is a cross between and V. grandiflorum).
Pussy Willow
Pussy willow catkins offset by red twig dogwood.
Pussy willows’ furry coat is also part-insulation.
Spicebush
Spicebush is an understorey native. Its delicate yellow flowers form a pale halo over the trees while the surrounding woods are leafless and brown.